This is Argentinean roots music at its best (and no, not a
tango
in sight).
Raul Barboza
, who now lives in France, recorded this on a return to his homeland in 2001, and though it's taken a few years to see the light of day, the wait hasn't deadened its impact at all. Now in his sixties, he's still a master of the bandoneon, and his playing hasn't lost an ounce whether he's performing a milonga or a chamame, several of which come from his own pen. Backed by a superb ensemble of guitar, percussion, bass and harp, he shines throughout, never more than on the final cut,
"La Colonia,"
which also features a younger master of chamame music,
Chango Spasiuk
. Add guitarist and singer
Leon Geico
, who graces a couple of tracks, and you have an almost definitive package of
Barboza
, who can move from fire to ache in a heartbeat, and move the audience along with him. [
En Vivo en la Argentina
was also released in a DVD version.] ~ Chris Nickson